In todays feature we’ll have a look at potter Haruyoshi.  One of the modern masters of painted porcelain pots, including sometsuke(cobalt blue underglaze), red underglaze, and five color styles of porcelain painting.  Along with Gekkou and Fujikake Yuzan, Haruyoshi is one of the most popular potters of painted porcelain bonsai pottery, and his pots are on the rise in value.  At between 1/4 to 1/2 the price of a Gekkou or Yuzan, Haruyoshi pots are still relatively inexpensive, and undervalued for the quality.

Haruyoshi, photo Courtesy Yorozuen

A marvelous winter scene!  Winter scene pots are rare, which seems strange to me, given that the Gafu and Kokufu exhibitions are held in the dead of winter each year, I would think there would be more!  It’s tough to tell from the photo the photo if this pot is overglaze painting or a combination of underglaze enamel and overglaze enamel.  The white overglaze of the snow on the Celadon green porcelain is fantastic, and there is some nice detail to the boat and it’s pilots.

Haruyoshi, 3" My Collection

A Small Haruyoshi sometsuke in my collection.  When you hold one in your hand, and see them in person, its quite easy to see why they are becoming so popular and fast becoming expensive!

Round with Sometsukelandscape and yellow border.  Very nice brush work on such a small piece.

A multi color painted pot with some very nice detail and brush work.  Just enough negative space to the left to appear uncluttered.

Small 5 color painted pot, sometsuke bordering.  This looks to be a combination of under and overglaze enamel work.  The 5 colors(go-sai) were made popular in the Ming dynasty Chinese porcelain pieces, and still continuetot be the most popular in Kutani and other porcelain wares.

Another Go-sai pot with some great detailing and brushwork.

A nice Sometsuke landscape with centered view.  Painted bonsai landscape pots will generally have negative space on one side or the other, there to help reinforce the directional movement of the tree.  IRilke this pot as it could be used with a tre with movement to the left or right.

A nice red painting with blue border.  I love how this cascade pot presents a little cliff side landscape overhanging the river, with it’s semi-cascade black pine.

The above and below pots are two great examples of Haruyoshi glazed pots.  In addition to masterful painting, Haruyoshi produces some nice glazed pots with interesting colors.  The thick double glaze on the pot below is especially nice.

Haruyoshi, 4" by 2" tall

We’ll finish off with one final glazed pot from Haruyoshi, in my collection.  This pot is beginning to show a nice patina, as can be seen from the bottom detail.

Hope you enjoyed the marvelous pots of Haruyoshi, til the next post….Hopefully Ill have a great new collection post soon, as Kokufu is next week!